Newsletter 2 Animal Adaptations continue..............


(Translations available using widget below)


The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change.
Carl Rogers


Dear Parents and Students of Grade 4

We have continued our work on Animal Adaptations.
To date:
  • We have completed activities reinforcing Adaptations and Behaviors focusing on Amphibians, Jumping Spiders, Wolves, Great White Sharks, and Killer Whales.
  • Students should have a working definition of the terms: Basic Needs, Adaptations, Learned Behavior, and Instinctive Behavior.
  • Student are currently studying the way genes effect the form and function of animals through the use of fictional Fuzzies to learn about inherited traits that can be dominant or recessive.

I have received the SIS access letters for each parent to create their family portal to view Science Scores in SIS. They will be sent home this week with all students. Each contact letter is specific to each family with a security code.
You do not need to read the letter. Only use the security code and your last name as provided in the SIS access letter.

Directions with pictures for using the security code to create your parent SIS access portal are found on
http://bostonpublicschools.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=1112

I am the only Elementary Teacher using SIS to show student grades at the Ohrenberger, as opposed to the Middle School Teachers who do use SIS.
Unlike your child's Elementary report card, the scores in Science are averaged together by SIS. Pay attention to content, skill, effort, and quiz scores in that they will be used for the content, skill, and effort grades found on your student's report card.

Feel free to contact me a pthomas2@bostonpublicschools.org if you have any questions. Please identify your child using first and last name as well as classroom so I can reference parent primary language in my records if I need to do translations to assist you.

I hope to hear from you.

Patrick M Thomas.